Expanding the horizons of FINAL FANTASY! A tale of many encounters and the birth of a new world.
Originally released in October 2016, WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY has just been powered up and reborn as WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY Maxima! New characters from FF lore (Champions)POWERED UP AND REBORN!

Expanding the horizons of FINAL FANTASY! A tale of many encounters and the birth of a new world.

Originally released in October 2016, WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY has just been powered up and reborn as WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY Maxima! New characters from FF lore (Champions) and monsters (Mirages) add even more fun and excitement to this unique adventure. This new and enhanced version of WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY also features the Avatar Change system, which allows the protagonists, Reynn and Lann, to fight as Champions. Fight your way through exhilarating battles as legendary FINAL FANTASY heroes!…Expand

Compared with Final Fantasy XV, released in the same year as World of Final Fantasy, I find this game that much more enjoyable and replayable, because it is a gorgeous throwback to the history of the franchise, and because it doesn't take itself seriously.

A title that will please both the traditional players and the new players. The story is really addictive and entertaining thanks to the variety of scenarios and creatures. Fun gameplay and an excellent artistic section.

Despite its visual shortcomings, World of Final Fantasy Maxima still brings back the charm we all fell in love with two years ago. This crossover still feels like an excellent celebration for the series, spoiling long-time supporters with classic gameplay and a fanciful tale filled with Final Fantasy fervor.

World of Final Fantasy Maxima remains a rather fantastic game. Despite the story not being much to shout about, there is so much to like about the journey. The interactions between characters as well as the gameplay are incredibly well crafted. Maxima's presentation is halfway there between the higher-end versions and the PS Vita release. The textures aren't as flat as on Vita, but there is some blurriness to be seen. Overall though, this is one of the better full-blown RPGs on the system, with a no-nonsense approach that kept me coming back.

World of Final Fantasy Maxima features more options, minigames, bosses and soundtracks than the previous version. Even if the new features aren't such a great thing, the game is still largely enjoyable.

A slightly updated version of a good, mostly, lighthearted JRPG from 2016. It fits particularly well on Switch in handheld mode which is noA slightly updated version of a good, mostly, lighthearted JRPG from 2016. It fits particularly well on Switch in handheld mode which is no surprise as the game previously also came out on the Vita. This time around it looks much closer to the other console versions if you choose to take it on the go and it looks nice even on the TV screen, although, the other console versions do look better if you put them side by side.

The biggest downside of the original game for me was its heavily backloaded story and certain formulaic story moments. However, the nostalgia rush more than makes up for most of this for me. Is it a good fit for series new comers, I'd like to think so but truthfully it relies so heavily on references that at least one or two Final Fantasy games under your belt will help with the narrative that otherwise makes you wait for itself to what sometimes feels as just make room for the myriad of references and callbacks.

I noted the game as lighthearted and that is because peppered throughout the game are smaller story moments and scenes which heavily rely on comedy where the two main characters play off of each other in the style of traditional Japanese Manzai act. In English this translates to a lot of hit or miss puns and jokes usually by or on the expense of the brother out of the games two twin protagonists. You will likely cringe and/or laugh either because you found something funny or because it is so bad you can't help but to smile (or facepalm, but I chose to embrace this quirk of the game and smile instead). As a result, however, when the story eventually gets serious the shift in tone is so stark that I find myself struggling to take it seriously.

In terms of gameplay that too is filled with nostalgia for me, due to its return to the classic ATB system with just enough of a twist, in monster collection and stacking, that I found it really enjoyable. The core concept of stacking is an interesting, albeit silly, way to setup your party but it works in a game with this style.

As an upgrade to the original game Maxima offers a helping of, mostly, post game content, some new mirages to catch and New Game+ mode with optional adjusted difficulty. For the lore enthusiasts out there it also has an additional ending scene and a lot more written lore to unlock, find and collect (some of it only in New Game+). For someone who has played the original release from 2016, or the PC version from 2017, it offers enough to warrant another trip into Grymoire if only barely. The added lore will be fun for people like myself but the story is the same one you have seen before with few new moments around some of the new characters and just enough of a glimpse into the future of the twins to leave a fan of the original game hoping for sequel (even more than the original games ending already did).

For people who passed this game when it came out originally this re-release certainly warrants another consideration (if you are looking for around 40 hours of mostly silly lighthearted and easy fun in a charming little fantasy world), in my opinion, but for people who have already played it waiting for sale might be a good call (or looking for the PC version on the cheap and just buying the DLC, PS4 owners sadly get a much worse deal than PC).…Expand